Get Your Fingers Out of Your Ears — Greg Locke

Stephen’s Sermon and the Rejection of God’s Word

Bible says when they heard these things they were cut to the heart and gnashed on him with her teeth. He being full of the Holy Ghost looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

Said behold I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud Voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord. Cast him out of the city and stoned him.

And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. They stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus received my spirit. He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge.

And when he had said this he fell asleep. Go back to verse 57 if you would please. It'll be our text tonight. Acts 7 57 then they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord tonight.

The Call to Hear God’s Word

We begin our series of meeting to this simple message get your fingers out of your ears. Thank you. Don't you may be seated? Let's bow our heads and hearts and let's pray and ask the Lord to bless our time together tonight.

Get your fingers out of your ears now father. Please help me as I preach tonight and throughout the week. And Lord, I pray that you would help these before me as they listen to the Bible. And Lord I have one heart's desire tonight and that's not to be eloquent or necessarily to be a blessing.

But to be emptied of self and filled with the Blessed Spirit of God that I might have your power upon me for the next few moments as I preach and Lord I'd be a very foolish and very haughty man very haughty preacher to get in this pulpit and just try to preach some memorized Sermon father tonight.

I need and I plead for the power of God and I pray that you'd help me use the Word of God. We realize according to Isaiah 55 that the Word of God would not return unto your void. But it'll accomplish that which is centered unto so father tonight.

Would you convict would you convince and would you comfort as only you can well? Thank you dear God for everything that you'll say and do for it's in Jesus name that we ask it in pray. Amen, you know your Bible well enough to know that the book of the Acts is the founding the establishment and basically the propagation of the early New Testament Church from Acts chapter 2 all the way through Revelation chapter 22 verse number 21 we have one great main New Testament emphasis and that New Testament emphasis is the founding the Establishment and the continuation of local New Testament Bible believing and Bible preaching churches.

So in Acts chapter 1 we see that Jesus Christ ascends up into glory as clouds receive him out of their sight. The disciples get all downcast and discouraged but yet in verse 11 The Bible says that two men in white apparel stood standing there and said you men of Galilee.

Why stand you gazing into heaven this same Jesus, which you see rising into heaven shall so come again and like manners. You have seen him go and then in Acts chapter 2 when those men waited in the upper room upon God.

We see that the rushing mighty Spirit of God came through that room and they all began to speak with other tongues. That was languages not some kind of discombobulated mess that we hear in the charismatic movement today we have the Bible says that God came down that some man stood up to preach the Word of God named Peter and Thousands of people were converted by the grace of God in chapter number three and chapter before we see the ministry of the Apostle Peter and John they're walking along one day.

They see a beggar. They said listen, we don't have any money. But we got one thing roused up and walked in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The Bible said he got up and he began to go skip the Malou my daughter all the way back to the house and he Was an excited man yet in Acts chapter number five.

We have a turn of events. We have problems now here. We have the very beginning of the church and you know. The devil's just going to try to get up to bat and try to knock a home run for the devil's crowd.

And he steps up and there's a man by the name of Ananias with his wife by the name of Sapphira. I hear a lot as an evangelist in this movement that I referred to the Pentecostal movement the charismatic movement.

They're always talking about being slain in the spirit being slain in the spirit. Did you know that is a biblical? Phenomenon. Acts chapter number five and a nice and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost and the Bible said they were slain by the power Of God so that's about the only time you'll ever see slaying in the Spirit in the Bible.

The Early Church, Its Conflicts, and Stephen’s Calling

But in Acts chapter number six, we have a problem. You see he could not wreck the church in Acts chapter five. So he again steps up to bat in Acts chapter number six and that's chapter number six. The Bible says that the widows these ladies whose husbands had passed away.

They were arguing and bickering because during the daily ministration. They were not receiving the bread and the water that they were supposed to be getting as the widows of the church. So the devil caused some contention.

He caused some immaturity to rise up on the part of these elder ladies if you will. And so these preachers got together had themselves a little head-knocking conference and they said now wait a minute.

We've not been called to serve tables. They were not saying we are too good to serve tables. They're just saying listen. We're too busy. We need to give ourselves to the ministry of prayer and to the Word of God and so they appointed as you know.

Well in Acts chapter number six deacons now these deacons had to have certain qualifications. The Bible said they had to be if you read 1st and 2nd Timothy read the book of Titus had to be grave and sober.

And temperate and things like this, but yet they have some very interesting Applications if you will to go into the deacon body in Acts chapter number six. The Bible says these men were full of the Holy Ghost.

It says they were full of faith. It says they were full of wisdom not worldly wisdom for the Bible says be simple concerning that which is evil and wise. Concerning that which is good. But yet there was one young man who was appointed as a deacon in that first early local church who I would like to preach On tonight and that is the man Stephen look in your Bibles.

If you would please back in Acts chapter number six where we began just a moment ago Acts chapter number six as we study his life and please look at verse number eight and then we'll go to Acts chapter seven and that's what will remain for the message tonight acts 6 8 the Bible says and Stephen full of faith and power obviously the power of God did great wonders and Miracles among the people verse 15, please and all that sat on the council looking steadfastly on him saw his that Stephens face.

As it had been the face of an angel now go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 7. I give you the thought we have our points and we'll be through Acts chapter 7 verse 57 again at 7 57 then they that's these Magistrates that's these people who were listening to the preached Word of God Verse 57 then they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord.

Why People Refuse to Listen

In the past five years that my wife and I have traveled in evangelism. It's interesting you hardly ever if ever there's maybe been an occasion or two and I've not paid much attention. But you hardly ever see people actually physically sticking their fingers in their ears and hollering out with a loud voice.

I wish him up. I don't want to hear what he's got to say now a lot of people have that idea a Lot of people no doubt have that cold stony type of a heart and don't see him sitting there in the pew in the back Row front row of the choir physically with their ears plugged up.

But yet I believe a lot of people have their ears plugged up and they're just about as hard as this pulpit right here. And you can preach and preach and preach and pray and pray and pray and teach and teach and teach you can kick off your shoes loosen your tie get red white and blue all in the face and I mean you can holler and Reap and raise and you can beat it over the head with the Bible, but it's just about like speaking that wall right there.

They just have their fingers in their ears and they're not going to listen to what you they're not going to listen to what God. They're not going to listen to what anybody says. Why is it that people do that?

How is it that some people can just kind of turn the Word of God on and turn the Word of God off? They can turn the preacher on they can turn the preacher off. Why is the Bible say that these men cried with a loud voice?

Obviously they didn't want to hear the message. But why is it that all of a sudden these grown adults these grown men who I'm sure were rather Husky busky fellas because they just stoned this fella to death in Acts chapter 7.

Why is it that these grown men these magistrates these rulers in town? Act like a bunch of thumb sucking babies and stick their fingers in their ears and begin to whine and they will not listen To the message that Stephen brings them.

Why is it that people physically or spiritually stick their fingers in their ears? I believe there's three reasons in the context of Scripture. They'll be very easy to see. I believe in preaching the Bible within its context within the pages of the Word of God and always pray that God will help me to Be true to the Bible.

I think we've got too much keep preaching in America. We've got too much storytelling too much time magazine USA Today and reader digest preaching and we need to get back to the unadulterated Straightforward preaching of the Word of God.

So right out of the text I give you three reasons that no doubt according to the Holy Spirit right here in your Bible. Why these men plugged up their ears and would not listen to the Word of God look at your Bibles.

Please if you at verse number 54 verse number 54 acts chapter number 7 notice the phrase when they heard these Things they were cut to the heart now number one I believe the reason these fellows physically put their fingers in their ears and why spiritually many people do that is first and foremost.

The Truth of the Scriptures

Remember it or marker down because of the truth of the Scriptures because of the truth of the Scriptures I will remind you what Stephen is doing. He is a just been appointed a deacon and in just a couple of short days as a young deacon He stirred up so much controversy in this town that they even got false witnesses.

I mean they got NBC ABC health box office and Fox and the rest of those crowd to come out with their little pens and paper. And hand and they came out with the five o 'clock and ten o 'clock nightly news.

And I mean they lied about this fella and they began to set up false Accusations and they began to say that this guy was crooked and he was teaching customs which were Contrary to the Bible. What they meant was he's teaching customs that are contrary to our tradition.

Because they were more interested in their traditions than they were in the doctrines of the Word of God. So he begins to preach boldly to them. But yet the Bible says they could not resist the spirit by which he spake that reminds me of 1st Corinthians chapter 1.

Here was a group of people that were always bickering and arguing. Here's grown-up to Paul said when you should be eating t-bone steaks for the glory of God you're planting a sandbox. He said you're a bunch of immature babies.

He said some sound of Paul. They said well, that ain't nothing. I signed the card and I joined the Church of Apollo. He said hey, that ain't nothing found. I was saved and Osephus put me under and Paul said listen.

Are you not carnal in your thinking? He said some plant some so some water, but it is God that giveth the increase. He said when I came to you I came not to you with excellency of speech but in the power and the demon Inspiration of the Spirit of God and I believe that is the preaching that Stephen had.

What was he preaching about? Well, we don't have time to go back in our Bibles and study all of Acts chapter 7. But you study at some time. Did you know for 52 verses in the Word of God? 52 consecutive verses he preached.

Basically all the way from Abraham all the way up until their present situation and caught a murderer. Called him blasphemers called him ungodly and what a way to end your sermon and we'll see that in just a moment.

But it begins with Abraham. You remember Genesis chapter number 12. God comes down to a man who didn't even know who God was. He had a pagan father and the Bible says he came down there and God said Abraham I want you to get up and I want you to go to a land which I shall shortly tell thee of and by the Way, he never got there according to the book of Hebrews.

But nonetheless he was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. Now just put yourself just for a moment. Not in Abraham's position, but ladies, why don't you put yourself in Sarah's position just for a minute?

Here's a man that is out one day chopping wood. Whatever he's doing God comes down and says son I want you to go to a land which I will tell thee of so Abraham says, okay. How much clothes I take. God says take them all you're going a long trip son.

Oh, well, where exactly am I going? Well, I'll tell you when you get there, but I'm not gonna tell you until you do what I need a compass. No, no, I've got you. I do. I need a map. No, no, I'll guide you.

So can you imagine him ladies going into his wife? Can you imagine what he must have thought was going through the back of his head? Oh, she's gonna hit the roof on this one. And so he comes walking in and he says, uh, maybe get your clothes together.

We're going on a trip. Oh, wonderful. Wonderful. Are we going on a cruise? Where are we going? We're going a long way from here. So you might as well get your summer clothes and get your winter clothes and just get all your clothes.

And if you didn't think like my wife could take 15 chariots just for the shoes in the closet. Amen, and so she said just get all the clothes we gonna take them off. So I she said well, honey I'll get all the clothes together.

I want to be submissive and obedient. But where are we going? He says well, that's just the whole fun of it, baby. We don't know where we're going. We're gonna trust God. She said you're a nut what you're gonna do and he said no.

No, just just come on get the chariot and we're gonna trust the Lord. So they're traveling around don't have any idea where they're going but if the Bible says because of his faith God blessed the elf the father the Jews gave him more children than the stars of The sky and to the sands of the seashore and so he begins with Abraham then he begins to preach on Isaac.

You remember Isaac? Sometimes we think of him in Genesis chapter number 22 as a wee little kid that was being offered upon the altar. But no, no you study the Bible and you will find out that he was a full-grown adult.

I'm sure he was in his 20s and the Bible says that he was being offered up. You know the angel of God stopped him and said Abraham because of your love for me I'll not cause you to do this thing. So he preaches on Abraham's faith and obedience.

He preaches on Isaac. He preaches on Jacob which was there one night Luz a little place called Luz. But when God was done with him, he said this is Bethel. This is where I met with God. This is the house of bread.

This is the place of blessing. This is God's house and he said God's spirit was here and I knew it not and that night he broke some oil. He put it upon a rock and the Bible says he set that rock up for a pillar or for an altar.

And his life was changed his character was changed. His name was changed and a nation was changed. Then he begins to preach for a little while on Joseph. You talk about a scriptural. I mean in-depth Bible study.

I mean Stephen was preaching the Word of God just point after point after point. He begins to preach on Joseph there as he's thrown into the pit and then he goes to the palace and then he goes down To Potiphar's house and then they throw him in the prison and then he goes and he's Pharaoh's.

Pharaoh's right-hand man. He preaches about that and then he leads right into the fact that there arose a Pharaoh which knew not Joseph and for 400 years. The children of Israel were in depraved bondage.

I mean you talk about deplorable conditions. They were whipped. They had to make their own brick their own mortar all of that out of the slime pits of Egypt. And then he begins to talk about the exodus.

He begins to preach about Moses who is that great picture of Jesus Christ taking his children out of the bondage of sin out of the bondage of Satan now. The bondage of the world and he preached how Moses went in there with a rod of God in his hand.

And he said let my people go let my people go and 18 times. The Bible says that Pharaoh's heart was hardened towards the things of God. But yet finally after the firstborn of every household was dead.

And by the way, sometimes we read that and we think that just kind of entailed a little bitty children. But I will remind you that entailed some grown adults as well just a while back I don't know how long ago maybe three or four weeks I was reading that portion of Scripture my devotions and something caught me that I've never seen before.

The Bible says for there was not an house. Whether it was not one dead in Every single house in Egypt not the houses of the children of Israel every single house in Egypt. The Bible says there was not one dead.

Finally. That was the last straw pulled out of the hat. He said get them out of here. Let them worship their God then we find out they're backed up against the Red Sea. He said stand still and see the salvation of God and Almighty God used the faith of Moses and that rod of God that rod of Miracles to split the waters of the Red Sea like two elevator doors in the hospital building and they walked through on dry ground.

And he preached basically through the whole book of Exodus the word Exodus means to exit or to come out. Oh, that's what the book of Exodus is all about. He didn't begin to preach after Moses. He begins to preach about David King David the man after God's own heart the little shepherd boy who was anointed King.

They looked at his brothers and said all they would make good Kings and Samuel said no sir. He Bob. That's the one that God had his hands on right there. So he preached to the reign of David and then after David he preached on Solomon for a little while the wisest and richest man.

That ever walked the face of God's vineyard. After he preached on Solomon, he then began to talk about the great Messiah that would come. He began to talk about the great handiwork of God. He preached on creation and I mean you talk about a scriptural sermon.

This man preached from A to Z in 52 short verses in the Word of God, but I want to show you the conclusion of his sermon. Look at your Bibles, please. Acts chapter 7. Verse 51. All right preachers. Don't ever try to close your message like this because it won't work.

Verse 51. He's stiff-necked and Uncircumcised in heart in years you do always resist the Holy Ghost as your father's did so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your father's persecuted? He said listen tell us he said every prophet of God that came out with a message for your people for your father's for all Those wicked generations.

He said which one of them had they not persecuted. He said man. Listen, they put Isaiah in a log and chopped him in half. They try to get Jared run a Jeremiah and Hosea and the rest that crap. He said you tell me right now which one of the prophets have not you and your father's tried to slay tried to push away.

He said you resist the Holy Ghost just like your father's did. I'm sure that didn't sit well with him. Let me share what I mean look in verse 52. Which of the prophets have not your father's persecuted and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the just one.

You notice the capitalization there. We're talking about the Messiah Jesus Christ of Whom ye have now been the betrayers and murderers. These people are looking for the coming of the Messiah. We know they believe that Jesus was not the Messiah for John 1 11 tells us they came unto his own.

But his own received him not thank God for verse 12. But as many as received him to them gave you the power to become the sons of God so they resisted him. They said listen, you're not the Son of God.

You're not God. You're not the prophet. You're not the one the prophets were speaking up for no good things shall come out of Nazareth. Who are you who do you think you are to do all of these miracles?

You're killing our Sunday school numbers and they rejected him and now Stephen gets up just a few short weeks after that whole incident. Taking place feel fresh in their heart. He said you know what he said you people are stiff-necked.

He said you are uncircumcised in ears and in heart. He said spiritually and physically you're lost at the ball in high weeds. He said and now you're a bunch of blasphemers and you even murdered the just one whom your father's persecuted.

For talking about he said you talk about this just one. You talk about the Messiah and you talk about ending a message friend. I mean he just about got to the place. I'm surprised they didn't jump on him right.

Then they gave him a little bit more time a couple of verses here. But I mean like a pack of hungry dogs. They jumped all over this man. You talk about a mean scathing Bible sermon. He preached the Word of God to these people in the Bible says in verse 53 who have received the law.

By the disposition of angels now the word angels there. We're not talking about little haloed animals and a little haloed creatures and these little Sloppy wings and these little naked cherubims that you sell over Walmart stuff like that.

That's not we're talking about the one angel here. This is a reference to messenger. It's the same word a matter of fact the word prophets just the verse or so before he's dealing with the prophets of God.

He's calling them angels. Messengers of God he said listen you bunch of rebels have received the law of God from prophets. Then look what he said about the law of God and have not. Yes. He said you people are disobedient as the day is long.

He said you are wicked and the most crooked perverse generation that has ever walked the face of God. What a way to preach a Bible sermon. I mean he gave it to him both barrels. I mean just a blazing and then look at the Bible says in verse 54 when they heard these Things they were cut to the heart.

So why did they plug up their ears number one because of the truth of the scriptures? They could not handle the truth of the Word of God. But you know why they could not resist the spirit by which he spake.

Because he didn't get up with a little five-point alliterated outline three points in the form Whatever you want to call it. He didn't get up with all the great hermeneutics and all the great homiletics.

He didn't get up with his memorized message and just get up and and say, okay, I'm gonna tell you what I learned in Bible college. I'm gonna tell you what I learned here. But I've learned there he got up and boldly preach and proclaim the Word of God and they could not say anything about it.

For they knew what this man was speaking was the truth. You know what never living in a day when people no matter how old they are no matter what their background is. No matter what their social or their marital status is some people just do not want to hear the truth of the scripture.

They do not want to hear the truth of the Word of God. For example, many people that I preach to do not want to hear the truth when it comes to the issue of salvation. No, it's a pretty dead issue with me.

The Bible says in John 14 6 Jesus said unto them I am the way the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me I don't know about you, but I'm from Tennessee. That's pretty bold down-to-the-earth.

Logical human in language, don't you think. I mean right there black and white in your Bible matter of fact verse 6 I mean black it's red because it's the words of Jesus Christ. I mean right there in the Bible.

He said listen, that's the only way you're gonna go. You will go to the Father because I am the way I am the truth and I am the life. But some people don't want to hear that. Some people enjoy their Buddha and some people enjoy their Muhammad and the Confucius and the rest that confused crowd around the world some people enjoy their way rather than God's way.

And so here's a man that preaches the straight straight truth of the Word of God and the people do not want to hear it. Some people don't want to hear the message or the truth of the scripture when it comes to live in a sanctified or separated Life and so they have basically the same type of reaction.

They have basically the same type of blistering up or bolstering up and getting mad because they're just not able to handle. They're just not able to digest the truth of the scripture. So this man did not come to them and say let me tell you what I think he said.

Let me tell you what God says and the reason they could not resist his message. It's because he didn't preach on his pet doctrine. He didn't preach on the traditions of the Baptist Church that he grew up in he didn't preach on the creed.

He preached the Word of God and they stood there dumbfounded. They were spellbound they plugged their ears with their fingers and said whoa, whoa, mister. We don't want to hear that and we're living in a day when people do not want to hear the truth of the scripture.

I'm trying to get to my third point. So let's get to the second one. Look at your Bibles, please now for the second reason that they would not listen to his message verse 54. It's right there in the same verse when they heard these things what things.

52 verses of the Word of God. When they heard these things they were cut to. The heart number one they plug their ears because of the truth of the scriptures. Number two for sake of an outline or for sake of alliteration.

The Convicting Touch of the Holy Spirit

They plug their ears because of the touch of the Spirit they were cut to the heart by the continual Convicting of the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. These men listen to what this man just said. They heard about Moses and they heard about Abraham and they heard about Jacob and Joseph and Isaac and they heard about Solomon.

They heard about the Messiah and they just were. Come face to face like a man would look in a mirror with the fact that they're murderers. With the fact that they are blasphemers with the fact that they crucified the Messiah.

They're only hope mankind humanity's only hope for the world and they were just confronted with that. And the Bible says because of the truth of the scriptures what they heard and because of the fact they were cut to the heart.

They were not willing to repent. They were not willing to get right with God now. There's always two responses that you can have to conviction. Lost people and save people both need conviction and both of them can respond to conviction in one of two ways.

They can either receive the conviction for a lost person. That means that God will bring them to a place of being saved, but they can also reject conviction. They do that long enough what Jesus called Matthew 12 32 the unpardonable sin but for a saved person.

They can receive the conviction can get right with God or they can reject the conviction and they can be of all men most Miserable as the Apostle Paul said in 1st Corinthians chapter 15. Obviously by way of context these men were lost.

The Spirit of God showed him. Hey what this man's preaching to word of God what this man is preaching is his truth. Hey, this wasn't birthed out of Nashville. This wasn't birthed out of I am bass. But birthed out of Greenville, this wasn't birthed out of Pensacola.

This wasn't birthed out of Chetek. He said listen here. This was birthed from the Word of God. He said what I just preached to you was God's holy inerrant without error Perfect Word of God and these men heard that they knew it was the truth.

But they were not willing to listen to the truth of the Word of God. They were not willing to respond to that conviction and I think it's some people like preaching to a brick wall. I mean you can tell some people the same thing over and over and over and over and over again.

But if the Spirit of God does not first reveal to that person either their need for salvation. Or number two their need to get right with God get out of a hog pen quit living a backslidden life. We can talk preach pray yell holler and scream all we good and jolly.

Well, please. But the fact is they have to do business with the Spirit of God themselves and these people were no doubt. Under conviction they were cut as a knife would cut they were cut deeply to the heart.

What happened when they were cut to the heart keep reading your Bibles? Let's see. Let's see what their response was. They were cut to the heart and gnashed on here with their teeth. I heard a man one time preaching Bible college and doesn't make any difference to me.

This is basically no doctrine to this. What that means is that they just began to. They were mad at the message that he was saying. But yet I have fun with that because the Bible boldly says they gnashed on Him with their teeth.

Don't say they gnashed around him doesn't say they gnashed because of him. It says they gnashed on him with their teeth. So here these people like a bunch of little babies. No, you keep the nursery. No, God bless nursery workers.

I mean we preachers think we got problems. I'm telling you what the truth I mean nursery workers. They get it bad for him. I mean They gotta change diapers and they gotta fix this and they gotta do this and do this and I'm telling you what's the gospel.

Truth these people were a bunch of little babies in the nursery. I mean nationally. I Mean fighting this guy sticking their fingers in their ears. They were not going to listen to the message. They didn't care what he said.

They didn't care what he did. They didn't care how much conviction they run. The Bible says they gnashed on him with their teeth. Hey, look at this verse 55, but he being full of the Holy Ghost. Look up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and Said behold, I see the heavens open the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

Look at the reaction when he said that then they cried out with a loud voice boy. They didn't want to hear that they try to muffle out that noise then they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord verse 58 and Cast him out of the city.